Fiorentina 1 - 0 Livorno

Fiorentina 1-0 Livorno

Updated: February 27, 2008, 5:57 PM ET

FLORENCE, February 27 (Serie A) - Fiorentina bounced back immediately from their defeat to Roma with victory over Tuscan rivals Livorno on Wednesday night.

A first Fiorentina goal for substitute Ndiaye Papa Waigo was enough to keep all three points in Florence and see Livorno slump to a third consecutive defeat.

The Labronici are now in real trouble as the defeat saw them slip down into the relegation places while the Viola reclaimed fourth place from AC Milan.

The opening five minutes were ugly and set the tone for the rest of the half as both teams put in some poor challenges and rough fouls.

Giampaolo Pazzini enjoyed the first chance of the game in the seventh minute as he headed a Tomas Ujfalusi cross into the arms of Marco Amelia in the Livorno goal.

Marco Donadel then tried his luck two minutes later with a decent right-footed effort from 35 yards. Amelia looked alert as he got down well to block the shot.

A minute later Zdravko Kuzmanovic went down in the area under a Jose Vidigal challenge. The Serbian midfielder was promptly shown a yellow card for diving, much to his astonishment.

Both coaches were forced to make changes in the last 10 minutes of the first half with players were taken off injured following rough tackles.

Franco Semioli left the game on a stretcher following a brutal foul by Giovanni Pasquale. The same player was later forced off following a foul by Semioli's replacement, Papa Waigo.

The visitors were the first side to create an opening after the break after Alessandro Gamberini fouled Vidigal outside the area. Alessandro Diamanti took the subsequent free-kick and sent the ball just over the bar with a decent effort.

Just before the hour mark Erjon Bogdani had a great chance for the Amaranto to take the lead but he sent his header wide to the right following a cross.

This was to prove to be the closest Giancarlo Camolese's side came to scoring as the hosts begin to look more organised and press forward.

This pressure paid off immediately as Papa Waigo headed home a Pablo Daniel Osvaldo corner from the left to score the only goal of the game.

Osvaldo himself almost doubled the lead shortly after as he hit the post from a very tight angle after receiving an Ujfalusi cross.

With 15 minutes remaining Martin Jorgensen combined well with fellow substitute Riccardo Montolivo on the left before cutting inside and shooting just over the bar.

A minute later workhorse Kuzmanovic did well to win a corner after his mazy run and shot was foiled by Amelia.

In the last 10 minutes Gianpaolo Pazzini wasted a trio of decent chances to put the result beyond doubt.

Firstly, he shot wide across the face of goal following a good run from Papa Waigo down the right flank before, secondly, blasting over the bar right-footed from the edge of the area.

Finally, Kuzmanovic found Papa Waigo who did well to beat the offside trap before, unselfishly, passing to Pazzini who scuffed his shot from close range.

The number 29 then tried again but this time hit the crossbar when he should have really found the net.